'It is possible to feel deeply for Israelis and Palestinians as this conflict continues'

As the war in Gaza grinds on, Chris Hughes looks at the conflict from a personal level and the impact it has had on those he knows

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Palestinians walk past the rubble of a destroyed building due to Israeli bombardment (Photo: MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)

So much gets lost in expressions such as “rising death toll” and “escalating tensions” it becomes increasingly difficult to describe the horror of war.

Having spent weeks in Israel reporting on the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks when militants broke out of Gaza, repetition of such phrases is hard to avoid.

Whilst they do describe what is actually happening from the outside in terms of numbers, they fail to convey the deep personal tragedy of what those sheltering from the bombs are experiencing.

Of course, achieving that, may be impossible.

Even in London, from where I am reporting currently, such phrases follow journalists around and it is hard to convey to the reader what is happening on the ground.

Put simply, I am not in Gaza, so I can only reflect what little information is coming out of it, hopefully writing as much as possible about what is being experienced.

There are many sides to this conflict and we try to reflect them all, taking into account all of the opinions emanating from this dreadful war in as fair a way as is achievable.

It is entirely possible to feel deeply for both Israelis and Palestinians as this grinding conflict continues and tens of thousands are dead and wounded.

Even as I write this I am seeing the latest 24-hour count of dead in Gaza soar to over 100 and blood is still being spilled in the West Bank and across the border in Lebanon.